The Hogwarts Express soon arrived at the station, and the Little Wizards disembarked to attend this year's opening feast.
After another new student sorting ceremony, Dumbledore stood up. His nearly two-meter height, coupled with his beard that almost touched the ground, was very conspicuous, attracting everyone's attention.
"Before the new term begins, I have a few things to tell you, one of which is very important. I believe everyone already knows that many Dementors from Azkaban have come to our school; they were sent by the Ministry of Magic to perform official duties. These Dementors just searched the Hogwarts Express, and I know this was an unpleasant experience for everyone, but I hope you can understand that this is to ensure the safety of our school."
Though he said this, a clear look of displeasure appeared on his face. He was very unhappy that the Dementors had forcibly consumed the happiness of some Little Wizards.
"The Dementors will be guarding the school's surroundings this term, so those students who wish to go to the Forbidden Forest had best abandon their ideas. No disguise, Potion, or magic item can deceive a Dementor; even an Invisibility Cloak is useless. Of course, if you happen to encounter a Dementor, please shout for help and run away immediately. I and the other Professors will be waiting around the Castle, ready to assist you at any time."
Dumbledore paused here, looking at Arthur and Draco in the Slytherin seats, and a hint of joy finally appeared in his expression. "Here, I want to specially commend two Little Wizards, Arthur Black and Draco Malfoy. They drove away the Dementors on the train earlier. For this, I will award each of them 50 points."
As soon as his words fell, a lively cheer erupted from the Slytherin House seats. Even the first-year Little Wizards who had just been sorted into Slytherincouldn't help but feel a special sense of honor.
Amidst the cheers from Slytherin, the Little Wizardsfrom other Houses gradually began to applaud as well, after all, Arthur and Draco had just saved them.
Normally, Draco only bullied Harry, which had nothing to do with them. In the eyes of most Wizards from other Houses, Arthur and Draco were already two of the more approachable people in Slytherin.
Only Harry and Ron felt a bit awkward; seeing that others from Gryffindor were also applauding, they reluctantly clapped too.
Especially Ron, he now wished Draco hadn't saved him.
He himself, his best friend Harry, and Hermione, for whom he now harbored some special feelings, could all be said to have been saved by Draco.
Otherwise, if Harry had fainted, who knows what that Dementor might have done.
His sister, Ginny, had also encountered another Dementor not far from their compartment, which was also driven away by Draco's peacock.
Ron unhappily looked at the new Professor at the Professor's table. At this moment, in his and Harry's eyes, the new Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor was, like the previous Professors, not a good Professor at all.
Because they had actually been with that new Professor earlier, but the new Professor was shabbily dressed and had been sound asleep. He only woke up after Draco had driven away all the Dementors and then gave Harry a piece of chocolate.
Seeing that almost all the Wizards from all Houses were applauding, Dumbledore's face also broke into a smile.
Once the applause and cheers died down, he said with a smile, "Now that the Dementor matter is settled, let's talk about the Professors who have joined our school this academic year. A total of three new Professors have joined Hogwarts to teach this year. First, Professor Lupin, I believe he will be a Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor you will miss in the future."
After Lupin stood up, the Little Wizards' applause was sparse, lacking any enthusiasm. Because his clothes were somewhat worn, he did not appear to be a wealthy man. And generally, Professors are Wizards who have achieved something in their respective fields, and usually, they are quite affluent financially.
However, the Little Wizards understood when they considered the course this new Professor would be teaching. The Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor can only teach for one year, and there aren't that many Wizards in all of Britain skilled in Defense Against the Dark Arts to take up the position at Hogwarts.
The second new Professor is Rubeus Hagrid, who will be in charge of the Care of Magical Creatures Class from now on. Since many Little Wizards at the school knew him, he received a warm welcome from some people.
"For the third Professor, I believe some of you already know that Professor Bernhard made a very serious mistake. So this time, I have invited an old friend of mine to serve as the new History of Magic Professor, Albert Winston."
Albert Winston stood up.
He indeed looked very old; his hair and beard had all turned white. However, his body still looked robust, like an elderly person who regularly exercised.
After all the announcements were made, the opening feast officially began.
The Great Hall once again became lively, with everyone eagerly eating the delicious food prepared by the House-elves. After all, some parents' cooking was indeed not very tasty, and the variety was not as rich as at the school.
At the end, before leaving, Draco even went to Gryffindor. He went alone; he didn't believe that after he had just saved them, the Gryffindors would still dare to hit him.
He looked at Harry, extended his right hand directly, and squawked, "Eh hey! My good friend, Potter, are you alright?"
Harry smiled awkwardly, "I'm fine, thank you for earlier."
His voice was so soft that Draco could barely hear him.
Seeing Draco's satisfied smile, Ron, however, looked displeased, "Hmph, Malfoy, we don't need your fake concern."
"Eh, that's not right, Weasley," Draco frowned slightly and said somewhat seriously, "I saved two Weasleys today, and one of them was your sister. Is this how you treat your savior? Then I really misjudged you. I originally thought of using this opportunity to become good friends with you. Since you don't welcome me, then I'll leave!"
As he left, he looked at the pitiful Ginny and casually said, "Miss Weasley, your brother seems a bit displeased with me. And I even helped you drive away the Dementor. I wonder if you would be willing to be my friend?"
Ron immediately ran over to block in front of Ginny, glaring and saying, "Malfoy, stay away from my sister."
Draco didn't care, he tidied his blonde hair, then gave Ginny a charmingly evil smile and walked back.
He looked just like a show-off peacock.
"There's an old Chinese saying, 'A dog cannot change its habit of eating shit,'" Ron cursed fiercely.
Hermione, who had been silent until now, looked at him in surprise, "You also learned Chinese?"
"Not really, a tourist I met during my trip to Egypt taught me." Then he looked down at Ginny and said, "Ginny, remember not to talk to Malfoy in the future. His father used to be a Dark Wizard."
"Mm-hmm, I know. But he really did save us this time, shouldn't we..."
"Alright, even if he hadn't saved us, that Black fellow would have. At least I think Black looks more agreeable than Malfoy."
Ginny puffed out her cheeks, "Okay, I know. I'm going back now, my roommates are waiting for me."
Although Harry and Hermione felt Ron was wrong, Malfoy was indeed annoying, so they didn't refute him. They thought that if Malfoy bothered them again in the future and didn't win, they would let him off a few times.